“I always liked playing in the dirt,” said Mary Passaretti, geologist and co-owner of Aztech Environmental Technologies, when talking about the growth and challenges her company has faced over the years.

“If it’s wet, it’s mud; if it’s dry it’s dirt. Right? according her to her business partner, Fil Fina III, PE. By no means, is it that simple when it comes to remediation solutions, environmental consulting and comprehensive drilling services, but Aztech Environmental has a solid business record, coupled with a high-tech team, to simplify challenging environmental problems for its current and future clients.

In 1991, Passaretti formed Passaretti Geological & Environmental Consultants Inc. in the basement of her mother’s home in Saratoga Springs.

“Ninety-eight percent of my work was prepping the ground for Stewart’s Shops,” she said. Prior to that, she worked in the oil industry in Tulsa, Okla. Right out of undergraduate school, she embarked on a 10-year career in the research division of Amoco and Cities Service (Citgo). As a diver for Citgo, she collected research data in the Bahamas, Belize and, less glamorously, offshore New Jersey. The data from the Bahamas formed the basis of her master’s thesis earning her a graduate degree at TU.

As Passaretti Geological grew, the company partnered with F.L. Fina PE PC.

“We found that the two companies complimented each other and made good partners,” she said. “Fil has a brilliant engineering mind, and I have the geological piece.”

The state Public Service Commission has approved New York’s Clean Energy Standard, which officials are calling the most comprehensive and ambitious clean energy mandate in the state’s history, to fight climate change, reduce harmful air pollution, and ensure a diverse and reliable energy supply.

The Clean Energy Standard will require 50 percent of New York’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by 2030, with an aggressive phase in schedule over the next several years, state officials said.

In its initial phase, utilities and other energy suppliers will be required to procure and phase in new renewable power resources starting with 26.31 percent of the state’s total electricity load in 2017 and grow to 30.54 percent of the statewide total in 2021. The Clean Energy Standard will cost less than $2 a month to the average residential customer’s bill, officials said.

“New York has taken bold action to become a national leader in the clean energy economy and is taking concrete, cost-effective steps today to safeguard this state’s environment for decades to come,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “This Clean Energy Standard shows you can generate the power necessary for supporting the modern economy while combatting climate change. Make no mistake, this is a very real threat that continues to grow by the day and I urge all other states to join us in this fight for our very future.”

Officials said the Clean Energy Standard will:

• Significantly reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and prevent backsliding on progress made to date by maintaining the operations of carbon-free nuclear power plants as the state transitions to a 50 percent renewable requirement.

• Strengthen New York’s electric fuel diversity for the reliability benefits it brings. The Clean Energy Standard also places New York as a leader of the global effort to combat climate change and the resulting extreme weather events.

By 2030, the 50 percent renewable mandate will be a critical component in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent (from 1990 levels) and by 80 percent by 2050, officials said

Peak Environmental Landscape Construction and Management Services recently settled in to a new location at 44 Wood Road in Round Lake.

Referring to Peak Environmental as a “green industry company that specializes in comprehensive landscape construction and management services for commercial and residential clients,” president Terry Hubbard said the company has been on a growth path and needed to find a new space that would accommodate its expanding business and the addition of new employees.

Peak Environmental specializes in three main landscape and construction services: high-end outdoor residential living spaces; landscape development work for commercial sites and new home construction development; and landscape management and maintenance services.

The company is known for its environmentally friendly designs and use of materials, as well as its attention to detail. The company’s motto is “one company, one call,” indicating that they can offer a comprehensive package of services from design/build to ongoing maintenance and support for both residential and commercial customers.

Robert W. Pulsifer operates a law firm at 562 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

Courtesy Robert W. Pulsifer

By Liz Witbeck

Starting a new business is no easy feat. Many people who start a business do not understand the scope of laws and regulations involved. An attorney is a valuable resource for people looking to start any kind of venture and unsure where to begin.

Several attorneys specializing in real estate and business law exist Saratoga Springs and the greater Saratoga County area to help with planning.

“Many people don’t know the legal ramifications involved in the process,” said attorney Robert W. Pulsifer.

Pulsifer operates a law firm at 562 Maple Ave., Saratoga Springs. He has been practicing law for 25 years and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from West Virginia University. He advises business owners to obtain two types of counselors when starting a new venture: an attorney and an accountant.

He said virtually all business owners should consult an attorney. There are several laws regarding taxes, the IRS, zoning and more that may be complicated. An attorney can talk to business owners about their individual situation and give advice that is specific for them.

If you have a boss, employees, co-workers, friends or even family members, especially kids, there are monkeys all around you, just waiting to jump on your back. They are sneaky and you have to be very careful and stay alert because they are difficult to handle and even harder to get rid of once they have attached themselves.

According to William Oncken Jr., a leader in management training, “a monkey is anything that should be someone else’s next step.”

According to Kenneth Blanchard, William Oncken, Jr, and Hal Burrows, authors of “The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey,” it goes something like this: A co-worker or employee comes to you with a problem while you are working. You want to help, so you stop what you are doing and listen for as long as you can. You learn enough about their situation to know you will need to be involved, but not long enough to make a decision on the spot. So you say, “I don’t have time to make a decision right now, so let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.”

Bam! Monkey jump. The other person walks away feeling 30 pounds lighter and you now have a 30 pound monkey on your back.

Sometimes you are the best person to handle that monkey, but often times the other person is capable of handling it himself and would really grow and learn and be more responsible if he did. If you had asked, that person could have given you some proposed solutions along with the problem, but too late. Now it’s your monkey and you are in charge of its care and feeding.

Fear can be dangerous. It can turn into a mindset in which things aren’t questioned and mindless obedience to authority becomes the norm. In fact, most of the advice we hear in the business, whether from the employer or employee perspective, is based in fear.

There is fear in firing bad employees. Fear in making the wrong business decision. Fear in standing up to a miserable boss. Fear in standing up for what you believe in. Fear of others we don’t understand. The list goes on and on. Fear ends up ruining everything.

When your choices are based on these fears, the outcomes are rarely optimal. We see employers, who suffer a horrible employee because they are not sure how and when it is safe to terminate. Work doesn’t get done, better employees become stressed and the employer is seen as ineffective at managing their company. Still the employer fears a lawsuit or fears the hole left after the employee is gone.

Conversely, many employees complain of being intimidated and bullied by managers. Managers and supervisors often abuse their power through petty harassment or worse. Subordinates, even if they’re assertive and intelligent people, often behave submissively in the face of horrible bosses.

Many times, we are faced with business choices that don’t align with our personal values. I had a boss one time who wanted to “fix” the revenues because projections were so off. I had two choices: comply or resist. I’ve never regretted standing up for the choice that made personal sense to me- that was not to comply with his request.

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus while caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Joel Goodman of The HUMOR Project is back in the area and continues to tickle people’s funny bones while teaching the benefits of humor in the workplace.

Created by Goodman 39 years ago, The HUMOR Project, based at 10 Madison Ave. in Saratoga Springs, gives lectures, presentations and seminars on the benefits of humor in all situations. With its mantra to “do well and do good at the same time,” the organization has spread the benefits of humor by giving grants to almost 500 nonprofit organizations, human service agencies, hospitals, and schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Goodman said in the past few months, his company has been “delighted to donate 5000 back issues of our LAUGHING MATTERS magazine to a variety of wonderful organizations that are doing good work.”

The magazines have been distributed locally to Saratoga Hospital, Ronald McDonald House in Albany, Saratoga Springs Senior Center, C.R. Wood Cancer Center in Glens Falls and the Alzheimer’s Association in Albany.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and EnterSolar announced the completion of a 1.85-megawatt solar installation designed to offset up to 75 percent of the power used by 17 Stewart’s Shops in upstate New York.

This installation, located off site in Halfmoon, supports Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s mandate for 50 percent of electricity generation to come from renewable energy sources by 2030 and New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy.

John B. Rhodes, president and CEO, NYSERDA said, “We are proud to partner with Stewart’s Shops and EnterSolar on this solar project. Stewart’s is a true leader in sustainability efforts and is a model for other businesses to follow here in New York state.”

He said the state is making renewable energy an easy and affordable choice for both businesses and homeowners.

Paul Ahern, president of EnterSolar, said, “We are pleased to complete this, our second initiative with Stewart’s Shops. They are a true partner that recognizes the financial, as well as environmental benefit, of capturing the power of renewable energy. Knowing that solar energy will keep Stewart’s Shops ice cream cold all summer just makes the project that much sweeter.”

Nancy Trimbur, senior vice president at Stewart’s Shops, said the company has a commitment “to giving back to our communities, we are committed to making our communities greener. We’re happy to partner once again with EnterSolar and their efforts in encouraging sustainable energy practices. The solar project they completed at our Greenfield plant in 2013 has been a shining success, and the future looks bright for this latest opportunity to be more eco-friendly.”

Power Communications, an energy-focused public relations firms, is expanding and has opened a new office in Ellsworth Commons in Malta.

The company, which has an office in Saratoga Springs, offers local businesses public relations, communications and outreach services to energy clients in communities across North America.

Power Communications officials said the company has extensive experience in corporate communications, including strategic planning, messaging, branding, editorial, media, public outreach, graphic and web design and social media at a national level. It primarily serves the energy industry.

Until now, the firm has maintained the office in Saratoga Springs, but a majority of its clients and projects are located in other states, the company said.

“Over the past 15 years, we have been providing energy clients with a full range of public relations and outreach services that have led to the successful permitting of more than $4.5 billion in major clean energy infrastructure projects,” said Steven C. Sullivan, the firm’s managing director. “Having had so much success in other places, we decided to expand our presence in the Capital Region to offer local businesses the same type of services we offer elsewhere.”

New transfer agreements between the College of Saint Rose and SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury have been reached that officials say will greatly expand the training of new special education teachers to meet current special education teacher shortages, particularly in high-needs urban inclusive middle and high school classrooms.

Four new “articulation agreements” between the two colleges offer students who want to become special education teachers the ability to earn three degrees in five years and save on tuition, SUNY Adirondack officials said.

Students may now begin their teacher training at SUNY Adirondack, earn an associate’s degree after two years, then transfer to a dual-degree education program at Saint Rose without loss of credit. The agreements spell out the specific courses that students must complete at SUNY Adirondack and their equivalents at Saint Rose.

Students who successfully complete the required coursework at SUNY Adirondack will enter Saint Rose with junior status. After three more years, graduates will earn bachelor of arts and master of science in education degrees from Saint Rose and be eligible for New York state certification for grades 7-12 in one of four content areas–biology, English, mathematics and social studies–and also as a special education generalist.

Saint Rose has developed agreements with community colleges under “Project ASPIRE” (Adolescence Special Education Preparation for Inclusive and Reflective Educators), a U.S. Department of Education-funded program to improve the training of teachers who will work with students in special and general education classrooms in grades 7-12.